Garment



Dec. 19, 1961 H. s. HEILBRONNER 3,013,275

GARMENT Filed Dec. 10, 1958 INVENTOR A/APPY 6. #E/L BRO/VNEP M 9- gem.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Claims. (Cl. 2--113) This invention relates generally to a new and useful shoulder and sleeve construction for garments, and more specifically to such a garment construction providing both a self-adjusting neck closure and non-chafing arm holes.

In my United States Patent 2,410,212, granted October 29, 1946, I disclosed a garment having a novel neck portion which is self-adjusting to the neck and shoulders of the wearer while yielding to assure ready slippage of the garment over the head of the wearer. However, in that disclosure the sleeves are shown secured in the usual and well-known manner to the customary arm holes provided in the body of the garment. Such conventional arm hole and sleeve constructions are apt to cause chafing, because of the continuous seam around the armscye, and it is of course highly desirable to avoid chafing wherever possible. Sleeves extending over the shoulder, such as raglan sleeves, avoid such seams and are known, but they do not at the same time provide a self-adjusting neck portion.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a garment having a shoulder and sleeve construction providing both a self-adjusting neck closure and expansible ann holes.

Another object of this invention is to provide the foregoing in a relatively simple and inexpensive construction which is admirably suited to accomplish the primary objectives of this invention.

A garment constructed in accord with my present invention is characterized bythe provision of a body having a neck opening, and shoulder-engaging portions of one-piece construction secured to the body on opposite sides of the neck opening, the inner ends of the shoulderengaging portions forming self-adjusting end closures for the neck opening, and the outer ends of the shoulder-engaging portions forming the sleeves of the garment.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and characterizing features of a garment constructed in accord with my invention will become fully apparent from the ensuing detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing illustrating such embodiment and certain variations thereof, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the various views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a garment in the form of an undershirt, embodying the novel shoulder and sleeve construction of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a shoulder and sleeve-forming element of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the shoulder and sleeve-forming element of FIG. 2 shaped for application to the body of the garment; and

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 but showing a slightly modified construction.

Referring now in detail to the particular garment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is intended to be illustrative only of my invention, it will be seen that the same comprises a body, generally designated 1, having front and rear portions 2 and 3, respectively, providing between the upper edges thereof a top or neck opening 4. Body 1 can comprise either a piece of tubular fabric, or separate layers of fabric connected in known fashion by seams such as that illustrated at 5.

Neck opening 4 is of a size to pass freely over the head of the wearer and extends completely across the upper ends of body portions 2 and 3 into the armscyes 3,013,275 Patented Dec. 19, 1961 "ice 6 at opposite sides of the body, leaving the armscyes open across the upper ends thereof.

The shoulder and sleeve-forming elements of my invention are generally designated 7 and are initially cut to provide a sleeve-forming portion 8 and a shoulderforming portion 9, the elements 7 each being of onepiece construction, continuous throughout, with the port-ions 8 and 9 each comprising an integral extension-of the other, unitary therewith. Therefore, the elements 7 are characterized by the absence of joining seams.

Elements 7 are applied to the body of the garment at opposite sides thereof, being shaped to the form illustrated in FIG. 3 with sleeve portions 8 extending from armscyes 6 and with shoulder-forming portions 9 spanning the opposite ends of neck opening 4.

It is a particular feature of my invention'that the shoulder-forming portions 9 provide expansible, selfadjusting end closures for neck opening 4. To this end, the knitted fabric of elements 7 is cut so that the wales thereof extend generally horizontally, laterally of the garment and substantially transversely to the wales of the material comprising front and rear body portions 2 and 3, which generally extend substantially vertically. Shoulder-forming portions 9 comprise two or more layers, each being folded under upon itself about line 17 (FIG. 2) to provide for example, a double thickness as illustrated in FIG. 3. The inner ends of portions 9 comprise opposite end closures for the neck opening 4, which closures are expansible in the direction of the arrows 18 (FIG. 1) to provide a self-adjusting neck portion which will conform to the neck and shoulders of the wearer while facilitating passage of the wearers head through the neck opening.

When applying elements 7 to the body of the garment, the folded shoulder portions 9 are attached to the front and rear body portions 2 and 3 along the upper ends there.- of. This is done preferably with flat seams 10 which are continued along armscyes 6 to attach the sleeve portions 8 to body part 1. It is another particular feature of my invention that, in this way, the elasticity of shoulder portions 9, giving the desired expansible neck closure, is extended acrossv the armscyes into the sleeve portions, to provide expansible arm openings. The folded-under material of portions 9 is continued substantially to the inner end of the associated sleeve portion 8, and is free at its end, whereby the armscyes are not circumscribed by a continuous seam, which is the usual practice, and instead of a chafing producing seam'there are provided self-adjusting, expansible armholes. The closing seam 11 of the sleeve portions 8 can be made either before or after attaching the element 7 to the body 1.

The number of thicknesses of material in the shoulderformed portions 9 can be varied as desired. Instead of a double-thickness, a triple thickness of material can be used as illustrated at 9' in the element 7' of FIG. 4, and this is deemed advisable where the material of the body part is relatively heavy. A still larger number of thicknesses can be provided.

If desired, the end layer can extend only partially along the full length of shoulder portion 9, as would be provided by a full first fold and a partial final fold.

Accordingly, it is seen that I have fully accomplished the objective of my invention, with the elements 7 comprising a very simple, one-piece construction providing the desired expansible neck closures, for self-adjustment, and eliminating the usual continuous seam in the region of the armscyes to thereby avoid the danger of chafing. The elastic portion of elements 7 across the top of the armscyes balances out the strain normally taken entirely by a seam. It will be understood that the sleeve portion 8 can be of any desired length, from for example a sleeve hem to a long sleeve, while maintaining the desired expansibility of the arm holes.

A further advantage of this construction is the independence permitted in forming thefrontand rear body portions 2 and 3. They can be of equal shape, but they can equally well be different in shape, with the front portion 2 having for example a deep, cut-out neck portion and the back portion 3 having only a shallow cut neck portion. Also, while the shoulder portion 9 is shown as symmetrical, in relation to the sleeve portion 8, this is not necessary, nor need portions 9 be symmetrical about the center line thereof. Instead, the shoulder portion 9 can be shifted relative to sleeve portion 8, so that its center is on one of the opposite sides of the center line 12 of portion 8, as illustrated at 13 and 14, in FIG. 2. Such non-symmetrical arrangements might be desired where, for example, it is desired that a larger portion of the shoulder tilt to the front of the garment.

In addition, the shoulder portions 9 need not be of generally rectangular configuration, but can have other shapes such as, for example, the rounded configuration indicated at 15 in FIG. 2, or the generally V-shaped, insetjsides as indicated at 16. Also, 'various color combinations between body 1 an sleeve-shoulder elements 7 can be used, giving novel effects, because the contour lines are not disturbed by cross-seams.

7 It will be understood that this invention is not limited to slip-over garments, but also can be used with garments having front or back openings, nor does this invention require the use of any particular garment material.

Having fully disclosed my invention, and its mode of operation, what I claim as new is:

1. A garment having sleeves and comprising, a body having front and rear portions, a top opening, and armscyes, said top opening extending completely across the upper ends of said body portions and into said armscyes whereby said armscyes are open at the top thereof, and combination shoulder-sleeve elements of one-piece construction, each of said shoulder-sleeve elements having a shoulder portion and a sleeve portion and being formed 'of a single piece of elastic material, said shoulder portions spanning the opposite ends of said top opening and extending only crosswise of said body, said material of said shoulder portions being folded under upon itself at the inner ends of said shoulder portions thereby providing substantial parts of the neck opening, the underfolded material of said shoulder portions extending from said inner ends of said shoulder portions substantially to the inner ends of the associated sleeve portions thereby providing shoulder portions having multiple layers of folded elastic material, said folded shoulder portions being attached to said front and rear body portions in such folded condition, said material of said shoulder portions being elastically expansible transversely of said top opening and said folded inner ends of said shoulder portions also being free to elastically expand transversely of said top opening, said sleeve portions being attached to said armscyes, each of said shoulder-sleeve elements being attached to said front body portion by an uninterrupted seam extending only crosswise of said body along the associated shoulder portion and then downwardly along the associated armscye, and each of said shoulder-sleeve elements being attached to said rear body portion by an uninterrupted seam extending only crosswise of said body along the associated shoulder portion and then downwardly along the associated armscye, said material of said shouldersleeve elements spanning the open tops of said armscyes and extending from said shoulder portions into said sleeve portions, whereby said shoulder-sleeve elements provide a self-adjusting neck portion and expansible arm holes. 7 2. A garment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said seams are flat scams.

3. A garment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material of said shoulder portions is folded at said inner ends of said shoulder portions and adjacent said inner ends of said sleeve portions to provide at least three layers of material at said shoulder portions.

4. A garment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoulder portions are centered, relative to said sleeve portions, to provide a common center line extending lengthwise thereof.

5. A garment as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoulder portions are positioned off-center relative to said sleeve portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 472,672 Kneip Apr. 12, 1892 528,536 Feldenheimer Nov. 6, 1894 738,045 Langham Sept. 1, 1903 1,269,986 Weis June 18, 1918 1,288,417 Huels Dec. 17, 1918 1,431,736 'Garwitt Oct. 10, 1922 1,679,206 Crossingham July 31, 1928 2,171,220 Martin Aug. 29, 1939 2,410,212 Heilbronner Oct. 29, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,856 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1913 620,632 Germany Oct. 24, 1935 702,446 Great Britain Jan. 13, 1954 

